Pepe Heykoop's 'Brickchair' Stacks Up Instant Design Recognition

Dutch designer Pepe Heykoop was inspired by another artist’s illustration. The other artist’s illustration was inspired by a real chair. The result of this linking of art is the Brickchair, a new furniture piece made from repurposed children’s toy building blocks. It was the winner of the [d3] contest at IMM Cologne 2009.

The Brickchair has caused quite a stir among design critics. Some argue that it is not really functional, others argue that function isn’t the point. Still others see value in the design process itself.

While this chair clearly takes inspiration from the drawing, the design process sounds a little like the game of ‘Telephone,’ where a whisper is passed from one person to another until it has passed through all the participants. The last person vocalizes the whisper, which often bears scant resemblance to the original.